The annual Basilica Block Party starts next Friday, July 7th and spill over to Saturday. Tickets are $60 per day, or if you bought early bird tickets, they were discounted to $55.
....

Day Two of the Basilica Block Party meant walking, “Walk”, and more “Walk”—

The good weather had held up and even more people than the previous day, descended on the grounds of the Basilica of St. Mary, for another ten bands and six hours of music on the festival’s second and final day.

With three stages liberally spread out along the grounds (big stage in the back lot, medium stage out front and small stage behind the church), it often meant a lot of walking back and forth, in order to see bands on all three stages. As usual with the schedule, set times overlapped, so choices had to be made about who to see and where.

Star Tribune Stage

American Housewife were exactly as advertised- two ladies (Stephanie Paquin & Maureen Rudd, formerly of Space Heater) playing authentic alt-pop culled from their first release, In Like a Lion, released in May. Any band with a tune named ‘Sing a Big Star Song’ has to be likeable, and their next local appearance is sharing the unplugged stage at the Honey Lounge on July 27.

Jackson & the Roosters is a high-energy Americana five-piece who released their second album, the appropriately titled Round Two, earlier this year. The band opened for Ike Reilly this spring, gaining them even more fans, in addition to the ones earned at this performance.

Nooky Jones is a buzzing six-piece led by charismatic singer Cameron Kinghorn blending classic funk, sly r&b, smooth jazz, and seductive soul into a blend uniquely their own. With songs like ‘Hello’ and ‘The Way I See You’ already making waves on local radio shows, their debut album is out this month, and upcoming performances include an early evening free show Aug 4 at Orchestra Hall and a couple nights at the MN State Fair.

Preferred One Stage

Enemy Planes was the first band to appear on the front church stage, with the alt-synth group choosing to all wear white and often incited the crowd in support of their full-length debut, Beta Lowdown (Rock the Cause Records). Song titles like ‘We Want Blood’ and ‘Bare Your Teeth’ aren’t actually as aggressive as their titles suggest; instead, are melodic, easily palatable electro-rhythms that float on a sonic ocean.

Walk Off the Earth was undoubtedly the most fun band to see of the weekend. The Ontario, CAN six-piece (+3 live) ensemble threw everything including the kitchen sink, into their energetic hour-long performance, including confetti cannons, drums that “blew” smoke rings when struck, a group kazoo solo, playing plastic pipes and pool noodles, and five members strumming a single guitar. Part jukebox band (they re-interpret several current hit songs) and with multi-genre songs of their own, they nearly define the term, musical melting pot.

AWOLNATION provided the most amount of rock, on an otherwise mostly folk and alternative-filled weekend, and did so with perhaps the loudest volume of any act over the two days. Appropriately on Red Bull Records, songs from their 2015 breakthrough album RUN, still get considerable regular airplay locally, with a new album due soon.

Singer/guitarist Aaron Bruno first surveyed the crowd slowly and intently with his steely eyes, but that would gradually build to all get worked out performing, during their ninety-minute set. Younger fans went berserk during songs like ‘Not Your Fault’ and ‘Kill Your Heroes’, and finale, ‘Sail’ and the band even worked in their slightly robotic cover of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘I’m on Fire’, to start their encore on a haunting note.

Great Clips Stage

Julia Brennan is a talented local piano playing newcomer whose initial single, ‘Inner Demons’ got played on local pop station KDWB’s morning show a year ago, culminating in her being signed to Columbia Records who released her three-song EP, and this, playing her biggest local stage to date. With even more new fans earned, expect her fan base to grow ahead of the upcoming debut album.

Ben Rector is an artist we’ve seen really move up to new heights over the last couple years, with melodic and memorable songs, a growing (mostly female) fan base, and a Billy Joel-influenced sound that is custom-made for regular rotation on festival-sponsoring station Cities97. The Nashville singer still has momentum from his 2015 album Brand New (Aptly Named Records) with loyal fans crowding along the front railings, singing almost every word.

Rector comes off as friendly and personable on stage, often inviting the audience to sing along and is never afraid to croon a tender ballad or two. With two band members being Minneapolis natives, the crowd had no problem giving up their hometown love, in the form and shouts and cheers.

One of his most potent songs ‘The Men That Drive Me Places’, about the backstories of taxi and van drivers, gets lost among his other wedding-ready piano ballads, but is worth paying attention to.

Telling the crowd the band wasn’t exiting and quickly returning for an encore, Rector instead launched into his two biggest songs, the touching ‘White Dress’ and anthemic ‘Brand New’ to end his set.

Gavin DeGraw remains strong in radio rotation, consistently able to put out accessible singles, the latest being ‘She Sets the City on Fire’ from last September’s Something Worth Saving (RCA Records). The New York-based soulful pop singer had just been in Australia days before for a short tour there, but showed no signs of jet lag or fatigue from his opening ‘Chariot’.

DeGraw, in sunglasses, hat and dark coat, and band peppered hits like ‘In Love with a Girl’, ‘Sweeter’, and ‘Not Over You’ in amongst more deeper album cuts, and a couple of vintage soul covers before ending with hit, ‘I Don’t Want to Be’, the song that launched him into widespread success.

WALK THE MOON fans had been itching to see the band live since their summer 2015 Chipotle Cultivate Festival appearance had been cancelled last-minute due to incoming storms, and a family emergency scuttled their August 2016 scheduled appearance in St. Paul. The Cincinnati band made the wait worth their while, opening their ninety-minute set with ‘Up 2 U’ after their ‘Circle of Life’ play-on music.

The synth-pop foursome has emerged from the studio and recording of the next album (unfortunately, no new songs were previewed live) a follow up to 2014’s Talking is Hard (RCA Records) to re-energize themselves with a few live shows. Singer Nic Petricca didn’t talk a lot between songs, preferring to get in as much music in, before the hard stop curfew time of the night occurred.

Fans clapped and jumped in place for the frantic ‘Tightrope’, “We like to head bang to this one” Petricca said introducing ‘Lisa Baby’, and he set an ideal mood describing a utopia before the percussive-heavy ‘Work This Body’.

The crowd in unison, raised the roof by releasing their tension and mimicking lifting in the extended set-closing ‘I Can Lift a Car’, but their best was saved for last. The two-song encore consisted of current radio staple and Billboard Top Rock Song, ‘Shut Up and Dance’ and the group’s first hit single ‘Anna Sun’ from 2010’s I Want! I Want!

And with twenty bands on three stages over two days, the fans got what they wanted, in the form of perfect weather, hours of music, and another Basilica Block Party.

Walk Off The Earth at Basilica Block Party, Basilica St. Mary (08 July 2017)

Enemy Planes

Enemy Planes

Gavin DeGraw

Gavin DeGraw

Gavin DeGraw

Walk Off The Earth

Ben Rector at Basilica Block Party, Basilica St. Mary (08 July 2017)

Walk off the Earth

Walk Off The Earth

Ben Rector

Ben Rector

Ben Rector

AWOLNATION

AWOLNATION at Basilica Block Party, Basilica St. Mary (08 July 2017)

AWOLNATION

AWOLNATION

Walk the Moon

Walk the Moon

Walk the Moon

Walk the Moon

Walk the Moon at Basilica Block Party, Basilica St. Mary (08 July 2017)

The 20th Anniversary of the Basilica Block Party is taking place on Friday (July 11) and Saturday (July 12).
I have mentioned before that it's not a great place to see music (because of the talkers....

“Can I get a witness?!” How about 10,000+ of them—

On one of the best weather weekends of the year thus far, thousands descended on the grounds of The Basilica of Saint Mary in downtown Minneapolis for the annual two-day Basilica Block Party.

The festival began in 1995 as a fundraiser to help pay for the structural restoration of The Basilica and today, proceeds from the event benefit The Basilica Landmark, which preserves, restores, and advances it for all generations. In addition, a portion of all proceeds go to The Basilica’s St. Vincent de Paul outreach program, which provides services to those in need.

Ten acts were spread across three stages for each night- the Main Stage (sponsored by Great Clips) located in a back lot behind the building along the highway, a Church Stage (sponsored by Preferred One) out front, and a smaller local stage (sponsored by Star Tribune) .

Star Tribune Stage

Nick Jordan opened the local stage, named the area Best R&B singer last year by City Pages and who has his latest EP, Dividends, due out next month, with a release show set for the 7th St Entry on August 4. Jordan has a polished sound that melds r&b, funk, soul, and house, and is compelling live.

Jaedyn James & The Hunger followed, a South Minneapolis sprawling 10-piece funk love soul group in its third year, and who released their debut, RAW, in 2016.

Night Moves is a stalwart on the local scene, having formed in 2009 and still headed by the duo of John Pelant and Micky Alfano. The group’s latest Pennied Days has also spawned an EP, Carl Sagan-The Pennied Days Sessions (Domino Records) with UK tour dates upcoming for the slow groove, cosmically twangy group.

Preferred One Stage

Cobi, a Grand Marais, MN native who was once in the Boston indie-pop band Gentleman Hall opened the day’s entertainment on this front stage, notable for sloped grassy areas, where fans could watch casually. The bluesy singer released a buzzworthy single, ‘Don’t You Cry for Me’ last year, along with follow up, ‘Prophet Story’, ahead of a more full-length release and his loyal local fans gave his trio a warm reception.

Andrew McMahon and the Wilderness has seemed to fully shed his past successes as frontman for Jack’s Mannequin and Something Corporate, gaining even greater acclaim in this latest musical venture. The pianist had the crowd with him from his beginning hit, ’Fire Escape’ and is in support of sophmore effort, Zombies on Broadway (Vanguard Records), released in February.

The Shins were among the most anticipated acts to see of the weekend, and the Portland band didn’t disappoint with a ninety-minute set supporting Heartworms (Columbia Records) released in March, and their first in five years. Playing just under half the new album, the band re-acquainted themselves with their audience, playing a diverse mix from their four other full-lengths as well, and any fears there were to some rust to shake off, (in terms of live performance) were quickly dismissed.

Great Clips Stage

The Roosevelts opened the main stage on a night that featured an Americana lineup as the Nashville-band played a short harmonic rock set with 70’s vocal influences, in support of 2016’s self-released The Greatest Thing You’ll Ever Learn and who returns to the area for an Aug. 5th fundraising appearance in nearby Hastings.

John Paul White (better known as formerly one-half of folk duo The Civil Wars) was next, White coming out first alone, commenting “If you’re wearing a suit, then you’re warm” in the late afternoon sun. The singer and his band are out in support of last year’s Beulah (self-released on Single Lock Records via RED Distrib), an effort he said first had no intention of doing, though the songs were forcing their way out of him.

White’s quiet and mostly sad songs seemed a little out of place on a festival’s big outdoor stage next to a highway (“that’s a first”, he quipped), but for the patient and attentive, the dividends were abundant. Highlights included ‘Simple Song’ (about his grandfather and from a Southern Family compilation) and covers of ‘Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)’ (by Dan Seals, but which he teased was by Luke Bryan) and his set-closing slow burn of ELO’s “Can't Get It Out of My Head’.

NEEDTOBREATHE is a South Carolina band we’ve covered several times in the last couple years, and continues to impress us live as they get bigger and more well known, in support of last year’s Hard Love (Atlantic Records), which is soon to reissue with even more content. The Christian leaning rock band led by the Rinehart brothers (Bo and Bear) is best seen in their own full headlining set, but even in a truncated outdoor festival appearance, treats the show as if they were in a sold-out arena.

Opening with ‘Good Night’ set the tone for a stomping good hour-long set and following with that ‘Feet, Don't Fail Me Now’ kept momentum in high gear. The audience was more secular this night, though several still held hands on high, during many of their more spiritual songs. The Rinehart’s middle two-song acoustic set made for a nice change, starting with ‘Something Beautiful’, the song successful enough to “get us out of a van and into a bus”. Finishing with the anthems, ‘The Outsiders’ and ‘Brother’, this was a band with enough poise and stage presence to easily headline the night.

BRANDI CARLILE remains such a musical fixture here, she considers it a second home (“it’s good to be back in my home-away-from-home!”, she exclaimed). She and her Seattle-based band (featuring as always, twins Tim and Phil Hanseroth) is in support of her own latest, The Firewatcher’s Daughter (ATO Records) and Cover Stories (Legacy Recordings), a compilation of other artists covering songs from 2007’s The Story. “We’ve all been together for such a long time, us and you, haven’t we?” she gushed, ever impressed by the positive outpouring from the local crowd during her ninety-minute set.

‘Keep Your Heart Young’ was actually written in town by Tim Hanseroth and caused a sing-a-long, ‘Dreams’ took us back to her busking days at Pike Place Market, ‘The Mother’ was written with her young daughter in mind, and a Johnny Cash cover kept the crowd clapping along with fever (“you guys are taking years off my life”, Carlile expressed).

Though deviating slightly from the setlist, a couple of covers helped close the evening, including a sparse take on Led Zeppelin’s ‘Going to California’ to end the main set, and John Paul White coming back to help sing their cover of Tears for Fears’ ‘Mad World’, a subtle statement on the current world state of affairs and a low-key version that sounded part TFF/ part Gary Jules.

Night Moves

volunteers

selfies

Night Moves

The Roosevelts

The Roosevelts

Nick Jordan

Nick Jordan

Cobi

Cobi

John Paul White

John Paul White

John Paul White

Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness at Basilica Block Party, Basilica St. Mary (07 July 2017)

Friday, 30 June 2017

The 20th Anniversary of the Basilica Block Party is taking place on Friday (July 11) and Saturday (July 12).
I have mentioned before that it's not a great place to see music (because of the talkers....

As you can see from his setlist (which does not list encores), he had wedged in three Bauhaus songs in the middle of his set. Those songs were well-received... as for most of the well-known songs.
. .…

Poptone is Daniel Ash and Kevin Haskins, of Bauhaus, Love and Rockets, and Tones on Tail. Joining the duo to form Poptone will be Haskins’ daughter Diva Dompé, formerly of the Los Angeles rock band Blackblack.

We’re obviously fans, so if you grew up in the same time period, you really need to be at First Avenue on Saturday.

For this retrospective tour, Poptone will play songs from all their previous bands, heavily leaning on the rare Tones On Tail songs. Expect to hear dance classics ‘Ok This Is the Pops’ and ‘Go!’

The crowd at the music stage began swelling very early on, as local favorites Hippo Campus played first, with a spirited 40 min. set that included new single, ‘South’ (EP out Oct 2 on Grand Jury Records)
.…

This is a really solid event. If you live in Duluth, or willing to drive from Minneapolis, the show looks outstanding.

We previously have seen all headlining bands before, with Hippo Campus recently in March 2017 and noted, “The buzz for Hippo Campus at their homecoming show was simply amazing. As soon as the band took the stage, a hundred cellphones went up in the air to record every moment of the band. The audience was generally young teenagers, but that is expected for a semi-rare all-ages weekend show at First Avenue.
The last time we saw Hippo Campus, they were definitely one of the key attractions to Rock the Garden 2016. Their RTG 50-min set “wowed the many in the crowd who were there to see them play a danceable mix of familiar and some yet-to-be-released songs.” Some of those preview songs are now available on their debut record landmark (Grand Jury Records). ”

This show is presented by First Avenue, The Current, and KUMD. Since this is an open area, so the show will go on rain or shine.

Also, as tradition goes, we stopped by the Leinie Lodge Bandshell to catch a little set from Texas-born, Louisiana-based Marcia Ball playing some old time rock and blues on her keyboard.
…

Other shows in the area:

07/07/2017 Don’t know how is it that Chicano Batman hasn’t been sued by DC Comics, but the band is thriving with their recent release of Freedom is Free via ATO Records (Billboard consider the album as “Best Albums of 2017 So Far”). Khruangbin will open the Turf Club in St Paul... the event is sold out.
Brainstory is also on the bill.
8pm, $20.

07/07/2017 Former Drive By Trucker’s Jason Isbell (billed as Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit) and The Mountain Goats will be at the new Palace Theatre in St Paul this Friday. The Mountain Goats’ Goths is out now on Merge Records. The show is sold out.
7pm, $49.50.

07/08/2017 Jared & The Mill and Canyon Spells will be playing the
7th Street Entry on Saturday.
8pm, $12.

07/08/2017 Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum singer-songwriter Michelle Branch will be headlining the Fine Line Music Café on Saturday, in support of her new Hopeless Romantic album from Verge Records.
No opening band listed on the venue’s website, but her poster shows Haerts.
8pm, $30.

07/08/2017 Today, Philadelphia four-piece, by way of New York, Palm is headlining the Turf Club in St Paul. Their new EP Shadow Expert is out now on Carpark Records. Palberta will open.
8pm, $10.

Saturday, 09 July 2016

The 20th Anniversary of the Basilica Block Party is taking place on Friday (July 11) and Saturday (July 12).
I have mentioned before that it's not a great place to see music (because of the talkers....

Anyroad, before we get to Death Cab for Cutie, I have to explain that I've seen the band before in 2001 at the 7th Street Entry for $5. People who live in Minnesota know that the 7th Street is a tiny venue.
…

It's the big 10 year anniversary of local radio station The Current, and they've been selling out all their shows. I believe most, if not all, of their shows will be broadcasting live ....

The first night of the Basilica Block Party just took place on Friday (July 8th). I’m working on my notes and setlist, but in the meantime, here are some general information and photographs from the Friday night party.

It's the big 10 year anniversary of local radio station The Current, and they've been selling out all their shows. I believe most, if not all, of their shows will be broadcasting live ....

“We haven’t done this for a long time… this, being with acoustic guitars”

Nathan Willett of Long Beach, CA alt-rock band Cold War Kids vexed briefly as three-fifths of the band played a short promotional acoustic set on a makeshift lakeside dock at restaurant 6Smith in suburban Wayzata.

Dessa

Local favorite rapper / singer / poet / writer / spoken word artist Dessa, (joined as always by Aby Wolf) got the afternoon started right with a brief set as perhaps her own preview of hip-hop collective Doomtree's big concert this Sunday at Sociable Cider Werks.

Cold War Kids' performance was a precursor to their full stage show as part of this weekend’s Basilica Block Party in Minneapolis, and played under gradually more overcast skies, though nothing more than a brief sprinkle of rain ever transpired.

Still in support of 2014’s Hold My Home (on Downtown Records), a slow burning record that has gradually continued momentum, mainly on the back of single ‘First’ which topped Billboard’s Alternative Song chart, and has stayed there long enough to be the second-longest running single in the chart's history.

Continued success has not been without its cost as three members have been replaced in the last three years, but mainstays Willett and bassist Matt Maust anchor the band admirably, and were joined by keyboardist/guitarist Matthew Schwartz for the 25min. happy hour performance.

‘All This Could Be Yours’, the newest album’s opening track aptly began the set, the band under a small tent surrounded by large boats, designer sunglasses and handbags, and flowing fancy craft beers.

After ‘Hot Coals’ (also from Hold My Home), a brief interview revealed the origin of the band’s name, that music comes first to them before lyrics when songwriting, and that large beach balls from Matt and Kim often come over to their end, when both bands are playing concurrently at festival shows.

Skies grayed and sprinkles covered the crowd as the band launched into ‘Miracle Mile’ and its opening lyric “I was supposed to do great things”, Willett howling “I'll be alright, if I could just see you”.

After a mid-tempo ‘Hospital Beds’, the band asked for crowd participation for the set-ending ‘First’ by clapping in time for the duration of the song. “If somebody next to you is not doing it… they’re not your friend…!” Willett said, trying to get full participation amongst all the “meals going on and people checking phones”.

Presumably saving hits ‘Hang Me Up to Dry’, ‘Louder than Ever’, and others for their Friday full electric festival set, the acoustic Cold War Kids performance proved to be a worthy appetizer, for the next night’s main course of a full performance.

Saturday, 02 July 2016

The 20th Anniversary of the Basilica Block Party is taking place on Friday (July 11) and Saturday (July 12).
I have mentioned before that it's not a great place to see music (because of the talkers....

Anyroad, before we get to Death Cab for Cutie, I have to explain that I've seen the band before in 2001 at the 7th Street Entry for $5. People who live in Minnesota know that the 7th Street is a tiny venue.
…

Ethiopian funk-rock group Debo Band is currently on tour in support of their sophomore album Ere Gobez. The large group lists 11 band members, which typically means an arsenal of musical instruments, like violins and brass instruments.

The group, formed in 2006, is led by Ethiopian-American saxophonist Danny Mekonnen, but its singer is vocalist Bruck Tesfaye. The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and NPR, who placed the band’s debut album—produced by Thomas “Tommy T” Gobena of Gogol Bordello—on their “50 Favorite Albums Of 2012” list.

The fifth birthday celebration of United States of Americana is taking place at the Turf Club in St Paul on Thursday, November 6th. The show features Israel Nash and local musician Frankie Lee (not the 70s blues musician).
…

Singer-songwriter Frankie Lee recently just wrapped up his tour with Esmé Patterson. He will be back in town, doing three Minnesota dates: In-store at Electric Fetus in Minneapolis on July 8th, headlining the Turf Club in St Paul on July 9th, and also at Red Herring Lounge in Duluth on July 14th.

With the Electric Fetus appearance, Lee will be playing a three or four songs from his third album American Dreamer (Loose/Thirty Tigers). Attendees who buys the album at the store will also receive a limited edition event poster (while supplies last). Frankie will sign copies of after his set.

Saturday, 26 December 2015

What are you doing on V-Day? If you're a Sleater-Kinney fan, you'll be at this sold out show. According to my bad memories and physical ticket stubs, I've seen Sleater-Kinney at least three times, and have expressed sadness ...

We covered Trampled By Turtles' first ever Festival Palomino last year. It was such a great learning experience for us, and we had a great time... so much that it made it onto my top ten favorite shows from 2014 (out of …

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is a musical on the life of songwriter Carole King, based on the biography written by Douglas McGrath. The musical has a residency at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis until the end of November. …

This year (2015), W♥M covered 346, which is an absolutely amazingly large number considering that we basically don't cover shows from December to February.

With so many shows, it's hard to just pick 15 shows to talk about... and I know there are a few that I feel bad about leaving off the list. I recommend looking over our list below and clicking on the shows you are most interested in reading and checking out for yourself.

This was my fourth time seeing Portland's Sleater-Kinney, and it was possibly my favorite. After "breaking up" in 2006, it was a bit of a surprise when they announced their reunion in October 2014 (with a new album No Cities to Love no less!). Of course, their entire 2015 North American show immediately sold out, but we were lucky enough to be there.... as were all the dedicated fans (who we haven't seen in quite a while).

We wrote, "I also wanted to mention that this wasn't just a SK reunion, but a reunion for all their fans. Personally speaking, I saw old friends I have not seen in nine years and it was all because SK came back to the music scene... so from the bottom of my heart, thank you Sleater-Kinney. "

Similar to Sleater-Kinney, beloved The Decemberists disappeared from the music scene in 2011.
We caught singer Colin Meloy solo in 2013, and although he did play some Decemberists songs, it just didn't feel the same. When the opportunity to see them live, after they announced an unexpected new album What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World, we jumped on board on the sold out show.

Their encore, with a giant whale, was a delight: "...then was a direct hit to the gullet, with their other folky mega-epic, the bouncy ‘The Mariner’s Revenge Song’ which stretched some twenty minutes. People were prompted to scream at a certain part ¾ of the way into the song, and the reaction was not unwarranted as a large cut-out profile of a whale ambled on stage to slowly eat each of the band members in a row, to the crowd’s shrieking delight."

My all-time favorite post-Britpop is Scottish band Belle & Sebastian. Although the band experienced some difficulties with their label (basically Jeepster Records didn't think they can grow beyond their cult-like status) and losing a few key band members (including sweet songstress Isobel Campbell), the band seemed to be in top form on this 2015 tour. They first hit the Enmore Theatre in Sydney, Australia, and eventually made their way to Minneapolis at Rock the Garden.

Personally speaking, as a diehard fan, I felt it wasn't their strongest performance in Minneapolis. They've been gone for 9 years from the city, and their song choices weren't what I wanted or expected. Still, despite all that, their two song finales were unfortgettable: "The two closing tracks, ‘The Boy With the Arab Strap’ and ‘I Didn't See It Coming’ were absolutely unforgettable. Murdoch walked on the front barrier and asked if anyone wanted to dance and encourage fans to come on stage. About thirty fans jumped to the stage and just had an absolute blast singing and dancing... and, yes, taking plenty of selfies."

We were lucky enough to have caught Sam Smith right before his road to stardom: winning six Grammy Awards (in Feb 2015) - including Record of the Year and Song of the Year - and Brit Award winner for British Breakthrough Act and Global Success.

We wrote, "With his career just starting (though he mentioned he’s had a manager since age 12) and a strong chance that he walks away with several Grammys next weekend, Sam Smith’s local debut was worth the wait, with likely several more appearances in the years ahead, to come."

The second annual Wizard World Minneapolis was a whole lot of fun. Unlike 2014's show, this year they had a few musical acts in conjunction to the comic book/geek fandom show: Critical Hit and our favorite Japanese Superhero band Peelander-Z. Unfortunately, due to a misunderstanding, the Peelander-Z show was cut short.

As we reported, "After just 25 minutes, the venue cut off the band's instruments!! Everyone in the audience and the band looked incredibly puzzled by the shutdown. The fans were screaming "One more song! One more song!" and Pink replied, "If only we could, but they won't let us play!"

After Brian Ritchie sued singer Gordon Gano in 2007, The Violent Femmes broke up. It was only recently (2015) that they reformed, so we were more than happy to make that long drive to Treasure Island Casino in Red Wing, Minnesota, to see them. Embarrassingly enough, I thought this was my first time seeing VF, until I was reminded by a friend of mine that we had seen them in early 2000 at First Avenue. Suddenly, the memories flooded back! I will confess that I have a terrible memory.

Anyway, seeing VF was such fun! Everyone in the audience were singing to every word (expect for the two new songs), but I will also mention that I LOVE Colin Hay (from Men At Work) and he was definitely the highlight of the Barenaked Ladies' set. BNL aren't bad either, they were surprisingly a very entertaining band.

We wrote, "Say what you will about Canada's Barenaked Ladies, but they are a great live band. All those years touring, singer Ed Robertson has developed an amazing ability to randomly improvise some raps and songs. My personal favorite was the "Ring Ding Ding for Red Wing" rap, it's clear to me that they just actually thought of it while randomly shouting out rhymes."

We were quite impressed with Go 96.3's very first show at Aria in early March 2015 (featuring New Politics and Banks). They spared no expenses, and it showed! They would later go on to book Go Fest 2015 (featuring Cold War Kids and Matt & Kim on 07 August 2015) and Go Snow Show (featuring Metric and Silversun Pickups on 03-04 December 2015). In fact, all the Go Shows are nothing less than spectacular. We speculate that they are possibly just losing money (thanks to their affordable pricing of "$9.63" or FREE), but we also think that getting their brand name out is well worth it.

We wrote, "So, with little Snow outside, but plenty Show inside, consider the inaugural Go96.3 Snow Show a success with the hope that this becomes a bigger and better holiday tradition, for years ahead. "

Legendary Britpopster Blur is finally back in Australia, playing their first gig in 18 years in the country. The whole gang is back (including Graham Coxon), and we love the band so much, we travelled to Los Angeles and New York for Blur's final two US tour. It's hinted heavily that this was the band's final U.S.A. appearance. A sad reminder that for this megastar band in England... that they never really broke America.

We wrote, "I'll just say the show was bittersweet. Albarn plans to spend next year working on the band that did break the States, Gorillaz, and he has enough side projects to distract him from the band he first started out in. This may be their last concert in the country they couldn't break."

FFS is the special project of Franz Ferdinand and Sparks. The two bands recorded an album and as expected with these type of one album-only tour, they basically played the entire album. As an added bonus, selective songs from their respective catalog was also played, including the wildly popular FF's song "Take Me Out" (the entire audience was bouncing and singing along to this number).

Of all the places the band could have chosen to play, they surprisingly added Minneapolis to their limited first-ever US tour... and it was well worth it for fans who showed up to catch this unique performance.

As we reported, "Both bands collaborated to produce some of the most interesting pop songs on the FFS album. It's smart, it's catchy, it's fun, and it's uniquely FFS. While I do not think there will be a sequel in the future, this was, by far, the most interesting team-up we've seen in a while."

This is one of our favorite 2015 shows: Big Star's Third. Every show they do is different, mainly because they have different guests. With all these great guests, you would think they can easily screw up, but they were all surprisingly well-rehearsed and seemed to know their material and what they had to work with.

We concluded, "This show was such a massive pleasure to watch. Between a stage loaded with talent and music loaded with emotion, it was hard to walk away from this and not be inspired and heartened. Big Star created some of the most beautiful and timeless music of all time, the soundtrack to our lives. Stamey, Stringfellow and every single person who contributed to Wednesday night’s performance brought that soundtrack to life. "

This was our third time seeing The 1975, fifth time if you count their two promotional appearance at Cities 97 and the Mall of America... and we called it long ago: This band is going to be massive! Not only have they sold out every appearance in the Twin Cities, but ahead of their sophomore album, they've already announced a date at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium. We think it's going to sell out, which very few bands have managed such a feat. We'll wait and see. If you need further proof that the band has made it - after we saw them at First Avenue, there were bootleg T-Shirt vendors!

As reported, "From the show’s early sell out, to the stage production, and the crowd’s intense reaction to every song, it was clear right away that the band has outgrown its club confines and is destined for bigger things (something we predicted when we first saw them too)."

We felt that the inaugural Festival Palomino last year was nothing short of perfect... however, the organizers (First Avenue and Trampled by Turtles) improved on perfection! We love the new setup and, based on these two successful shows, we're pretty sure they will be hard at work on a great 2016 Festival Palomino.

We praised, "If local festivals were racehorses, Festival Palomino is best in show. Again.

The Trampled by Turtles-curated festival, held again in the inside greens of the horse racetrack at Canterbury Park in the southwest suburb of Shakopee, triumphed once more in its sophomore year, as a prime example of a highly enjoyable, expertly-run day of music. "

This was an odd-pairing, but we were really excited about UK's The Adicts' very first Minneapolis show. They were just super-duper entertaining. The band clearly has their live show down to a T, incorporating various fun stage props, various costume changes, and choreographic dance routines. The only down side to these shows is that they are practically the same routine every night, so if this is your second or third time seeing them, it'll get old fast... but personally speaking, since it was their first Minneapolis show: we loved it.

Worth the price of admission: "If anything, The Adicts is one of the most entertaining bands touring right now. I've never seen so many stage prop used on stage, from pounds of confetti (used in streamers, umbrellas, hats, etc.) to Chinese take-out cartons (used for "Chinese Takeaway"), playing cards (used for "Joker in the Pack") to light-up plastic glass (used during "Who Spilt My Beer?") to various costume changes (hats, gloves, shirts) to beach balls, to stuffed monkeys (thrown into the audience). Although this may seem gimmicky, you can't ignore that this was a first-rate production and worth the price of admission. "

We're big fans of Weezer since 1994. Admittedly, the band's outgrown us, but we still have a soft spot for the nerdy band. Seeing them at Burgerama IV in Santa Ana was a treat, but because Rivers' dad came on stage to sing "Back to the Shack" with the band. We caught them again locally at Basilica Block Party, and it's probably our favorite Basilica show in recent memory.

The fans loved it, "As soon as the first few chords of ‘Hash Pipe’ were played, the audience immediately recognized it and started screaming and singing. Other big hits blocks included ‘Surf Wax America’, followed by ‘Island in the Sun’ with personalized "Minneapolis" lyrics, and ‘Beverly Hills’ (which did gangbuster in California, but surprisingly did really well in Minnesota as well)."

This one is still fresh in my mind, so it's one of my favorite music event I've attended. I can probably count on my hand the few plays and musicals I've attended (The King and I, Macbeth, A Christmas Carol, etc.), but watching Beautiful: The Carole King Musical was simply just magical. The seamless set changes, the constant costume changes (and one great "quick change" costumes), the great singing and music playing... they were just flawless! It probably helped that they act the same scene night after night for the last 200+ shows, but it was still pretty amazing to witness live. I have told people that it is like watching a movie, only it's completely live.

We concluded, "If you're a fan of live musical, you definitely will want to attend a show. It is a lot of fun, and the musical numbers will bring back a lot of wonderful memories."

The 20th Anniversary of the Basilica Block Party is taking place on Friday (July 11) and Saturday (July 12).
I have mentioned before that it's not a great place to see music (because of the talkers....

Weezer's singer Rivers Cuomo brought out his dad, Frank Cuomo, and they play "Back to the Shack". One of the most touching things I have witness in my many years of watching Weezer shows. …

The annual Basilica Block Party to benefit the restoration of the Basilica of Saint Mary, kicked off its first night on Friday, July 10th.
It was a perfect day for an outdoor summer festival that just right before the entrance was opened at 5pm, the organizers announced that they officially sold out all 15,000 tickets for Friday's show.

If you're not familiar with how the Basilica Block Party is organized, it is like the three bears approach: The main stage for the big headliners, the medium-sized stage mid-sized headliners, and the small stage for local bands. The schedule is done in a way that they would play against each other, so it's actually impossible for you to enjoy a full set of every band.

Star Tribune Stage

Tyte Jeff's setlist

The first of the local bands on the Star Tribune Stage was Tyte Jeff (featuring singer/guitarist Jeff Allen, drummer Matt Johnson, guitarist Jeff Marcovis, and bassist Aaron Ripplinger). The band played a few tracks from their self-titled 2014 EP, including intro song ‘Exurb Kids Don't Know What They Don't Know’ and ‘Imagine This Before Irony’ on their 45-min set.

Rupert Angeleyes

Next up was Rupert Angeleyes, in green hair and shorts. Like their previously live appearance at Record Store Day 2015, the garagey/60s surf band played tracks from their latest album Young Sunset, including some sensitive songs like ‘Delicate Guy’ and ‘When I Fell in Love’.

Zoo Animal

Headliner for the Star Tribune Stage was Zoo Animal who had a full hour to play. The band lead by Holly Hansen (who previously was billed under Holly Newsom), and she was muy emocionada to preview some brand new songs.

Zoo Animal is headlining the Cedar Cultural Center this July 31st, with Har-di-Har and Circadia. The show will also feature an art installation by Rachel Andrzejewskiat.

PreferredOne Stage

Matthew Sweet (with Gary Louris)

Over at the PreferredOne Stage was Matthew Sweet with a full band: Paul Chastain on bass, Dennis Taylor on lead guitars, and Ric Menck on drums.

The Sweet set was a real treat, with about half his set taken from his breakout 1991 Girlfriend album, including the title track, ‘Evangeline’, and ‘I've Been Waiting’.

The real highlight on his hour long set was when Sweet invited The Jayhawks’ Gary Louris on stage to help jam out and provided backing vocals to the last four songs: ‘Divine Intervention’, "I've Been Waiting’, ‘Girlfriend’, and ‘Sick Of Myself’.

Matthew Sweet is currently on a Midwest Summer 2015 tour with California's Orange Peels.

Mat Kearney

Oregon’s Nashville transplant Mat Kearney has always been a local favorite, playing almost every venue in town, though his last Basilica appearance in 2012, was cut short and forced to be acoustic, due to storms, so his hour-long set was “redemption”, in his words.

Kearney also brought along Leagues (and ex-Audio Adrenaline) guitarist and New Brighton resident, Tyler Burkham and noted sponsoring station Cities 97 was one of the first to play his breakout single, ‘Nothing Left to Lose’.

During ‘Undeniable’ Kearney scat sang a list of all the local venues he’s played previously, and worked in a verse of a U2 cover, during his own song, ‘Runaway’, with his bulk of his set from new album, Just Kids (Republic Records).

O.A.R.

Rockville, MD quartet O.A.R. is very familiar with the Basilica stage and has also done several promotional appearances for Cities 97, so their inclusion to headline the Preferred One stage on Day One, seemed a natural fit. Singer Marc Roberge and band were so “in the zone” playing that they didn’t break until after the sixth song, with Roberge remarking “I always forget to say 'Hi 'because we love playing so much”.

‘About an Hour Ago’ was described as the first song they ever wrote together, and the band, known for its spontaneous changes, veered from its own setlist in favor of more hits, including first single, ‘Hey Girl’.

Their somewhat abbreviated 90 min. set still allowed for three songs from their newest, last year’s The Rockville LP (Vanguard Records), with strongest crowd responses saved for hit ‘Shattered (Turn the Car Around), namesake song ‘That Was a Crazy Game of Poker’, and closing Bob Marley cover, ‘Stir It Up’.

Sun Country Airlines Stage

Motion City Soundtrack

Motion City Soundtrack can still qualify as a local band, despite their nationwide popularity and proof that they still connect in Minneapolis, was seen at a crowded main stage for their late afternoon set.

Lead singer Justin Pierre seemed genuinely excited to be play the event for the first time and the band played many of their favorites and a good chunk from album, Commit This to Memory, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary with its single, ‘Everything is Alright’.

They also debut some new songs, including ‘TKO’, the lead single from its upcoming album L.G. Fuad (Let's Get F***ed Up And Die), due in September back on Epitaph Records, their original label. Even their street team was on high alert, papering the outhouses with posters of the album’s impending release.

DJ Windsor spun some music during the 30-min setup on the main stage. You can see him on the right side of the stage, where Cities 97 DJs Brian Oake and Keri Noble would also come on to introduce the bands.

Nate Ruess

Former The Format and fun. singer Nate Ruess did a great job pumping up the audience for headliner Weezer. He stormed the stage with his large six-piece band to play ‘Great Big Storm’.

Since the band is relatively new (the Basilica Block Party was only the third US date on their tour), having only formed since fun.'s hiatus in February 2015, they only have a debut album Grand Romantic (which was released last month on June 15th). They were smart enough to not play all new songs, instead trickling them in between fan-favorite fun. hit songs like ‘We Are Young’ and set closer ‘Some Nights’.

He also threw in two other covers, P!nk's ‘Just Give Me a Reason’ and Prince's ‘Let's Go Crazy’. Ruess' story about the latter cover is that they would cover that song in Sweden, and no one knew the song. Of course, it's a different story in Minneapolis, Prince's hometown, as everyone in the audience was singing back, "Oh, no let's go! Let's go crazy!"

Sure, the band is still young, but they knew exactly what they were doing. Ruess had great vocals and his high energy was impossible to ignore. Keep an eye on them.

The first time I saw Weezer, they opened up for Lush at Fillmore, San Francisco in 1994. I saw them again in 2000 and 2005 at First Avenue, both sold out, of course. I believe that was the last club-sized show, in 2005, because currently, the group only book at stadium-sized venues, like Xcel Energy Center, Minnesota State Fair, Basilica Block Party, and the recent Burgerama Music Festival in Santa Ana.

Rivers Cuomo

Only a couple of songs from their latest Everything Will Be Alright In The End album were played, including ‘Back To The Shack’, ‘Eulogy For A Rock Band’, and ‘Go Away’. The latter was actually written and performed as a duet, as singer/guitarist Rivers Cuomo pointed out... so guitarist Brian Bell took over the second lead vocals. Bell also handled vocals for "Keep Fishin'", and Scott Shriner took over on ‘Dope Nose’.

As soon as the first few chords of ‘Hash Pipe’ were played, the audience immediately recognized it and started screaming and singing. Other big hits blocks included ‘Surf Wax America’, followed by ‘Island in the Sun’ with personalized "Minneapolis" lyrics, and ‘Beverly Hills’ (which did gangbuster in California, but surprisingly did really well in Minnesota as well).

They have been traditionally ending all their sets with their first single, ‘Undone - The Sweater Song’. That song is always tricky to play live because there is speaking background audio recording that doesn't always translate well in live performances. It's not one of my favorite live songs, but I can understand why the band chose that song to end their show.

Despite a late start, Weezer left enough time for a two-song encore, coming back on for ‘Memories’ and big crowd pleaser ‘Buddy Holly’. Instead of just walking off stage at the end of ‘Buddy Holly’, everyone in the band took drum sticks and started pounding on the Tom-Toms with drummer Patrick Wilson.

Friday, 03 July 2015

The 20th Anniversary of the Basilica Block Party is taking place on Friday (July 11) and Saturday (July 12).
I have mentioned before that it's not a great place to see music (because of the talkers....

There’s really no doubt left– Fitz and the Tantrums are no longer a secret locally; rather, are firmly established as a party-starting, crowd-inducing good time band that everyone now has their eye on.
…

Mat Kearney’s latest effort is called ‘Young Love’ and that was what the several hundreds of University of Minnesota students showed Kearney on his 70 min. outdoor appearance near Coffman Union Saturday
…

Up and coming Los Angeles pop band Echosmith, makes a brief (and free) promotional 5pm stop at Cities 97’s Oake on the Water, this week located at Tally’s Dockside in White Bear Lake. The group is riding high with current single …

The annual Basilica Block Party is this Friday and Saturday, July 10-11. We are really, really excited to see that Weezer will be headlining the first night and Wilco for the second night.

Besides from the two headliners, I'm also excited to see that Matthew Sweet is also on the bill, he was one of my first concert during his Girlfriend tour in 1992. The last time I saw Sweet, it was in 2001.

For the second night, we're most excited to see Jenny Lewis, who has a great new single "She's Not Me" from her latest album The Voyager. The music video featuring Fred Armisen, Zosia Mamet, Leo Fitzpatrick, Feist, and Vanessa Bayer.

California's Orange Peels is currently on tour in support of their latest album Begin the Begone, which came out in May via Mystery Lawn/Minty Fresh Records. They will be playing on July 10 at Lee's Liquor Lounge.

California's Ceremony (not to be confused with Los Angeles' The Ceremonies) is currently on tour in support of their fifth studio album, The L-Shaped Man, and will be in Minneapolis next Friday, July 10th.

Singer Ross Farrar explained the album title, "I was speaking to our driver Stephen while on tour, we were talking about men in general and what shape they are...their body type. I said, 'I guess men are in the shape of an L. The torso is straight. Vertical. And then you have the little feet at the end.' There's this painter named Leslie Lerner who was living in San Francisco in the '70s and '80s and made these beautiful paintings. He died on my 21st birthday. A lot of the record is about the similarities in our ideas. In what we're trying to make. Things that have to do with love and losing love."

Opening up the 7th Street Entry show will be Pity Sex from Ann Arbor, Tony Molina from San Francisco, and local Blood Cookie.

Saturday, 21 February 2015

SXSW 2015 is taking place March 17–22, 2015. We love this time of the year, as many bands heading down to Austin will likely stop in Minneapolis before or after the event. Keep up with more SXSW coverage at sxsw.weheartmusic.com. ....

Covering Coachella Music Don’t want the expense of hopping a plane to the desert in Indio, CA to fight the crowds and heat, and camp like hermits? Relax and enjoy this Festival’s second weekend from your living room chair, as AXS …

With warm sunshine in short supply, temperatures at or near zero, and a snow pack that seemingly will never melt, it’s probably best to look just past these Winter Blues and preview a taste of what’s ahead in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area this spring and summer.

The official start of Spring may be less than a month away, but these are truly the dog days of what’s turned out to be a pretty frigid winter season. Even W♥M Head Ringmaster Vu, mostly refuses to venture out for these months, and the bands that are daring to tour, are dramatically less in number than in the warmer months.

So with that, we optimistically look ahead at just a few of the upcoming season’s highlights:

MARCH

This month means SXSW or the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, TX, which brings together multitudes of bands March 17-22. Thankfully, several of these bands decide to make a short tour out of getting-to, and going-from SXSW, meaning many of them book an area performance.

Just a few of these acts include The Church, The Twilight Sad, Gang of Four, and The Ting Tings, among the almost 1,000 acts playing in Austin for those few days and are also making a local appearance in March.

Promotional-related appearances have even reached this far north, with SXSW-bound Delta Spirit headlining a free but invite-only intimate show sponsored by Lagunitas beer on March 12, and upstart alternative station Go 96.3 holding their first station-sponsored concert the next night (March 13) with New Politics, Banks, and K Flay.

APRIL

April means Coachella, a massive music festival in the desert of Indio, CA that has recently expanded to two separate weekends. Like SXSW, many bands schedule touring coming or going to the West Coast and Minnesota benefits from some of that. Clean Bandit, George Ezra, Glass Animals, Father John Misty and Milky Chance are just a few of the bands making a local stop en route.

MAY

Northern Invasion (09 May 2015)

Concerts start to ramp up as the weather warms with Slipknot and friends staging a headbanging Northern Invasion in nearby Somerset, WI on May 9.

Local hip-hop collective Rhymesayers bring its more-successful-than-ever Soundset back to Canterbury Park on May 24, with act details announcing soon.

JUNE

Bonnaroo is a growing music festival in Manchester, TN happening June 11-14, and like Coachella and SXSW, fingers are crossed that MN gets a few of those key acts in transit.

Blue Ox Music Festival (11-13 June 2015)

June brings the inaugural Blue Ox Music Festival to nearby Eau Claire, WI from the 11th-13th, focusing on Americana and Bluegrass with acts such as Pert Near Sandstone, Justin Townes Earle, and Sam Bush.

Rock the Garden returns to the Walker Art Center as a two-day affair June 20/21, with acts to be announced on-air March 31st. Wishful thinking says Belle and Sebastian w/Courtney Barnett (who are touring together), Run the Jewels, and Florence + the Machine would be great additions, though it’s all pure speculation.

UPDATE: 89.3 The Current announced last week that the RTG lineup announcement has been bumped up, now to be revealed on March 10.

Twin Cities Jazz Festival (25-27 June 2015)

Last year’s fun, free, and outdoor Twin Cities Jazz Festival was its biggest yet in its 17 years and this year’s (June 25-27) looks to be even bigger, with the not-yet-officially announced Saturday headliner being Dr. John, so keep those Mardi Gras beads handy.

JULY

Taste of Minnesota recently decided to return to last year’s site of Waconia and will be held July 2-5, with a roster of acts expected to be announced soon.

The annual Basilica Block Party is scheduled for July 10/11 and typically features a diverse range of alternative acts over its two main stages, with local acts on a third stage. Jason Isbell was briefly listed as a performer (an artist the sponsoring radio station doesn’t even play), but the listing was removed with full announcements expected late next month.

Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival (17-18 July 2015)

One of the most anticipated events of the summer is the first Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival, scheduled July 17-18, in Eau Claire, WI and curated by Justin (Bon Iver) Vernon and Aaron (The National) Dessner. In addition to their own bands, Charles Bradley, Doomtree, Spoon, and The Lone Bellow, round out a very full bill.

The annual Vans Warped Tour returns on July 26 at Canterbury Park, with Blessthefall, Splitbreed, and Family Force 5 among the dozens of bands performing.

Lollapalooza happens in Chicago on July 31- August 2nd, and with its close proximity to Minneapolis, expect several of the bands playing there, to make a stop here. Acts to be announced.

AUGUST

Summer Set (14-16 August 2015)

August begins with the mostly EDM and hip-hop related festival Summer Set at Somerset Amphitheater on August 14-16, with acts to be announced.

Chipotle recently announced its free Cultivate Festival is returning on August 22, headlined by Walk the Moon, who has a two-night already upcoming in March at First Avenue, with other acts to be announced.

The end of the month brings the last days of summer and the glorious twelve days of the Minnesota State Fair, running August 27-Sept 7. In addition to the Grandstand evening shows (some already announced include Carrie Underwood, Def Leppard, and Alan Jackson, with more TBA) most of the artists on the free Leinie Lodge Bandshell have leaked out. Look forward to two-night stands from PineLeaf Boys, Sonny Knight and the Lakers, ex-Foreigner vocalist Lou Gramm, swamp blues guitarist Kenny Neal, and just maybe, Merle Haggard.

TBD (and rumors)

Will this finally be the year the First Avenue Festival gets off the ground, after a couple years of delays due to bookings and logistics?

Rumors are that Target Field is working on a non-country show to be booked in sometime this summer. As much as I’d like it to be AC/DC and/or The Rolling Stones, who have both announced summer stadium tours, it will more likely be along the lines of Jimmy Buffet, who’s heading out this summer as well.

We ended up loving the first Festival Palomino experience, held last September as a Trampled by Turtles curated festival, and despite the bad weather that chased 10,000 people indoors for two hours we hope it returns again.

Prince has had two new albums out for some time (with no real tour that followed), and a deal with Warner Brothers that returned his masters of the classic songs to him. 2015 is perfect timing to re-establish himself on the concert stage and fingers are crossed that he does something completely memorable locally.

Could 2015 mark the long-awaited return of Jack White (who hasn’t come to town since a two-night stand in 2005 with The White Stripes)?

WHEW!

With this just being the tip of the concert iceberg ahead (expect the unexpected shows too) and warmer days within sight, it’s hard NOT to get excited about live music in the upcoming months.

♥♥♥We Heart Music will do our best to bring you all the details and reports! ♥♥♥